If the
residents who live within the boundary of every public elementary, middle, and
high school were allowed to decide by majority rule what school philosophy and
curriculum to implement, an interesting diversity would result. Most likely, parents and other adults in a
school district would use the Internet to learn about various school
philosophies and curricula.
Neighborhood control of neighborhood public schools would not solve all of the problems mentioned above, and it would also create some new problems. But it should eliminate some of the stale effects of living in a massive, stereotypical monoculture. It just might restore a new sense of civics and citizenship as local residents are given more challenging tasks than watching TV and shopping.
The former hierarchical structure could be provided to the school districts that just can't concur on anything. But toward the end of the school year, residents could vote on any working group's proposed independent school model that, if approved, could be implemented at the start of the next school year.
The school board of an independent school would likely hire teachers who live in the school district to create a more close-knit community. The school building could be the hub of the neighborhood, used by all residents for many different purposes every day and night of the week. Each school community could even have its own closed-circuit TV channel available to all the residents to broadcast resident-produced, neighborhood news and educational programming 24 hours a day.
What else is needed? Empowering the 7 largest national political parties in a unicameral national legislature, using a system of proportional representation, while taking all money out of politics, as discussed in the author's proposed Third Constitution--would help promote social justice within society.
Average Americans must realize the importance of democratic decision-making or democracy, especially consensus and participatory democracy in small groups and in local communities. Moreover, somewhere--if not at home, then at school--everyone should learn conflict-resolution skills. Our government must become a democracy and a republic; that is, a democratic republic. It must be a democracy that provides guaranteed human rights that the so-called "mob" cannot deprive individuals of, and it must be a republic in which our leaders, who represent larger groups of people, will actually represent all the people, and not just the wealthiest.
The American people must realize that there are "blowback" repercussions if their government dominates and bullies the world and exploits the labor and resources of other countries for the benefit of its transnational corporations. If, by using a black budget, the CIA is sabotaging democratically elected governments of developing countries that refuse to be client states of the United States, we the citizens, who allow our government to do this, may be the ones who reap the consequences. Would we want a foreign government to have large military bases on our land? Of course not! So why do we think the people of other nations welcome our bases on theirs? Not only individuals but nations should remember the Golden Rule.
Moreover, Americans must strive to achieve gender equality and develop toleration and respect for alternative sexual preferences. To reduce the forces of domination and hierarchy, our institutions and organizations can be built from the bottom-up, not the top-down, whenever possible.
What is the one branch of government that is most responsible for our plight, but potentially is the most powerful branch of government that can actually rectify most of our social and economic problems? It is the national legislative branch or the U.S. Congress. Currently only about ten percent of Americans approve of Congress, which is quite pathetic.
We have to take responsibility for allowing the wealthiest one percent to control us. We need to recognize that although the members of Congress enjoy the pay, prestige, and perks of the job, they need financial contributions in order to get reelected. The one percent is able to donate the most money, which they do as long as members of Congress do their bidding, which they do. So the American people must realize the importance of taking all money out of politics, so that Congress can fulfill its rightful role of meeting the needs of the many groups in our society. In short, the best political remedy for our local communities, our nation, and the world is to demand that the U.S. Congress does all the necessary things to maximize democracy and promote world peace.
It has been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Well, that journey need not seem impossible. Consider that, for the first time, the American people recently expressed in the polls that they don't believe the current lies and disinformation about why the U.S. should bomb Syria.
As more and more Americans wake up and stop relying on the mainstream media in the formation of their opinions, there is greater opportunity to reach the masses, especially the millions of Americans who don't have jobs, or who work at jobs that don't pay living wages. The working class of America can be educated and energized to demand that their members of Congress make these radical changes, or be voted out of office.
The U.S. Congress, with its extremely low approval rating, does not have to be permanently despised. Instead, an educated and empowered citizenry can help it become the ideal of the world. The Occupy Wall Street movement failed, at least in part, because it could not agree on specific demands to make of Congress. We have to be united in our common dreams and short-term objectives.
As the gap between the rich and poor widens exponentially within a country and between countries, this causes national and world social problems to increase more than anything else. This is why, in the author's opinion, it is extremely important to reduce the economic gap even more than what current socialists and communists might advocate. But the democratic voice of the people, after the 7 largest national political parties are empowered through proportional representation, may not be willing to reduce the gap to this extent.
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